My 14-year-old son, John, and I saw the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. It was so beautiful and had an unbelievable price, $28. I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John’s eyes shone. Dark, woolen coats were popular with teenage boys, but new ones could cost several hundred dollars. This coat was even better. John tried it on and turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. It fit him so well.

John wore the coat to school the next day. After he came home, I asked, “Did the kids like your coat?”

“They love it,” he said with a big grin.

Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less argumentative, more thoughtful, and much happier. “Good dinner, Mom,” he would say every evening. Without a word of complaining, he would carry in wood for the stove. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said, “You’re right. I guess I will.” When I mentioned this change to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.

John and I both know we should never judge a person by his clothes. But it is true that when wearing beautiful and suitable clothes, we may try to be better in thought, speech and behavior to match what is on the inside to what is on the outside.